Gondola car



(No Model.) I

S.. G. FAIRLEY.

GONDDLA GAR.

No. 589,647., PatentedSept. 7., 1897.

In varcol amaze I. u/BM? 5m/175754 UNITED STATES PATENT @Erica SAMUEL G. FAIRLEY, OF VILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

GONDOLA CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,647, dated September '7, 1897. Application tiled November 11i, 1896. Serial No. 612,089. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL G. FATRLEY, a

citizen of the United States of America, re`

siding at lVilkinslmrg, in the county of Alle gheny and Stat-e oi' Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Gondola Cars, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had therein to the aecompan ying drawings.

rlhis invention relates to'certain new and useful improvements in gondola cars, and relates more particularly to that class employed for coal and like material, the invention having for its object to construct a car for haul such material as above stated that will be extremely simple in itsconstruetion, strong, durable, effectual in its operation, and comparatively inexpensive' to manufacture.

A further object of my invention is to construct a car having hinged sides Which may be swung open to permit the easy and rapid unloading of the car and to provide easy and simple mechanism to perform this function.

Vith the above and other objects in View the invention iinally consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangementof parts, to be hereinafter more specifically described, and particularly pointed out in the claim. o

In describing the invention in detail reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, and wherein like letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views,in which- Figure l is a transverse Vertical sectional View of the cai-bodyI Fig.V 2 is an end View of the same. Fig. 3 isa top plan View of a portion of the car-body, showing operating mechanism.

In the drawings, a represents the end of the ear-body, and Zi b the hinged side pieces, to which are pivotally attached the curved raclebars c o at the end of the car-body, staples or keepers c c being provided to guide the rack-bars and keep the same in their proper position. Shafts d dthrough the end ct are supported at their inner ends by a cross-piece e, carrying a hinged cover f. The shafts also carry eog-vheels "g g, engaging the curved rack-bars, and on their outer ends the shafts carry operating-Wheels 7b h. Between the Wheels 7L 7i and the end a on the shaft are secured ratchet-Wheels 7.5 lt, which engage pawls Z Z, attached to the end a of the car-body.

The operation of my improved coal or gondola car is as follows: Vhen it is desired to unload the car, the Wheels h 7i, when turned, operate the shafts d CZ, causing the cog-Wheels g g to engage the curved rack-bars c o and force the same outwardly, thus opening the sides'of the car and permitting the coal to fall out of the car at the sides. As this operation is performed the pawl Will engage the ratchet and hold the sides in the open position. By reason of the rack bars being curved they Will be prevented from binding as the sides are forced outwardly, permitting the easy manipulation of same at all times, and when the pawl is'disengaged from its ratchet the Weight of the side pieces will force the same to their normal position and the pawl again enga-ging the ratchet locks the same. The hinged cover over the rack-bars and shafts will prevent thesame from becoming damaged 'by the material that is being hauled coming in contact with the same.

It Will be observed that the bottom of the ear could be slightly inclined from the center to each side, if so desired, to permit the coal to fall more readily out ci the ear, and it will also benoted that Various changes may be made in the details of construction Without departing from the general spirit of my invention.

Havingfully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desirev to secure by Letters Patent, is Y In a gondola car, sides hinged to the top,

wcrosspieces extending across the ear forming boxes, seg menta-l raekbars restingy on the bottom of the boxes and piioted at one end tothe sides, guides on the bottom of the ear in which said rack-bars operate, shafts journaled in the cross-pieces and ends of the car, a cog-Wheel mounted on the shafts and meshing with the raelebar, ratchets also mounted on the'shaft, pawls for engaging the ratchet and operating wheels secured on the outer ends of the shaits,'as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I alii); my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL G. FAIRLEY. lVitnessesi A. M. Winsor, A. B. APPLEMAN, Jr.

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